Friday, July 13, 2012

Keeping Safe Is Everyone's Concern And Responsibility...

We're all so spooked now with new cases of snatch thefts and daylight robberies happening in places we had always thought to be safe - where we do our shopping and bring our families.

In the recent spate of cases, the victims were all women.

It's not just that these things have been happening far too often, but the way the crimes were committed -- vicious.

The level of violence that accompanied the crime is frightening -- in most cases the victims were either attacked viciously and later died, or left for dead.

In a couple of cases, the victims escaped. In one, she survived a vicious attack.

So what do we do? We've got lots of advice from so many "experts".

Take martial arts, carry with you pepper spray, make sure you have your keys out before you enter your car, look around before you enter the parking area of the mall, shopping centre etc, make sure you don't park near a van.

In short, always be alert and stay safe.

Frankly, women have always been alert and always try to stay safe, in their car, in their home, in the mall.

But criminals commit their acts anywhere and everywhere to a point that we have been made to believe that "nowhere is safe" not even in our own homes.

That is a terrifying thought. We feel that we are under siege.

A high-ranking police officer recently - in the wake of attacks in mall - advised women not to park their cars in dark places.

"Stay away from dark areas" was his advice.

Now, I'd like to tell him that women for a very long time now have been doing that. We stay away from dark and dangerous places.

In all those reported cases in the mall, the women were attacked in brightly-lit areas.

Anyway, most everyone I talked to has a story to tell. A grim, gruesome story.

I'd just like to share with you a column I wrote in the New Straits Times that was published on Saturday, June 16 2012.

******

SOMETIME in 1982, I was robbed and abducted in my own car at
gunpoint by a man, somewhere in my neighbourhood of Section 16, Petaling
Jaya.

Fortunately, I was unharmed only because the perpetrator just wanted
my purse containing cash, and to get the hell out of the area. He dumped
me, unwittingly, near my house.

I was relieved but still shaken by the ordeal. The following day, the
police found my grey Mazda 323 in a light industrial area near Section
13, Petaling Jaya, minus my work jacket and my Olivetti typewriter --
both items essential for my Parliament assignment. It was a crime
waiting to happen in what was otherwise a safe neighbourhood.

The abduction (newspapers screamed "Reporter Abducted") took place
about 9pm in front of a row of shops. The parking area was dimly lit but
that never frightened me because there were always people around. That
particular evening, though, it was quite desolate.

Since that episode, I decided to psyche myself at all levels. I
consulted experts and read tonnes of material on crime prevention and on
what you should do when you fall victim to robbery or sexual assault.

The advent of the phenomenal cell phone changed the way we live our
lives. It was a useful tool. That telephone number of my neighbourhood
police station has been stored in my cell phone since. Well, thank God
for cell phones.

In a changing world, we continue to be confronted with new sets of
problems. So my eagerness and interest never waned. When I posted on my
Facebook a news item about 25-year-old Chin Xin Ci who was abducted by
two men at the car park of the Curve Shopping Centre but fought them off
and escaped, someone asked "can't the police do something about this?".

She was putting her shopping bags onto the rear seat of her car when one of the attackers slammed the door on her.

I understand the commenter's concern but the police cannot be at car
parks of shopping complexes all the time. The police after all cannot be
everywhere although that would be so ideal.
Ensuring a safe and secure environment is the job of the management of these establishments.

Two guys snatched my late mom’s purse in broad daylight somewhere in our neighbourhood. That moment occurred when she was 65 years old. I feel sorry a bit for those snatchers because their heart has long been dead (or their heart exists just for the sake of being a biological tool).

I don’t know what else to say when dealing with the dead heart except do whatever it takes to keep us safe and pray.

I think there must be something wrong in the way we teach, educate or instil the sense of compassion in our society.In the 70s, we use to rear chicken for own consumption without having to worry of losing the whole flock in the hen-house, at night. We do not have iron grilles on our doors & windows, then.In those days, we are not taught about religion in school, as much as today.

I suggest MOE re-look the way we teach our young children in primary schools.

Nuraina,what I am going to say will sure ruffled some more feathers from the blind and color blind political supporters from the ruling elite.

A company CEO bears the brunt of public anger and disgust when his company makes huge losses.But he reaped praises and the fruits of harvest when his company makes huge profits,with huge bonuses and other perks.

So when a country's security is at risk and failing,with cowboys running loose like in the sixties and seventies in Medan and Haadyai,who do we blame?The blind and color blind supporters of the politicians cronies,who cannot see the forest from the trees or their political masters?

The 1% who read NST or STAR dont understand the poverty of the 90%. You might see KLCC, Pavilion,or Mid Valley where Malaysians are happily shopping. Or even Sogo the Malay shopping Mall but what about the lowly paid workers.

Do NST readers knows that most Chinese, Japanese factories in Malaysia pay their worker less than RM600?!

The Government blithely state that RM3000 is poor. So what about RM600 earners? We close our mind, somehow these people will survive we thought a little guiltily.

Yes they survived and some survived by taking the easy way out. Taking from those who has more! No amount of policing can keep hunger away. No amount of Rela or military in the mall will keep envy away from those without.

No amount of ajaran di sekolah oleh MOE can keep human nature away when you dont have but the others have. What can I do to redress this inbalance?

When there is poverty of locals and immigrants workers these are the results. The Chinese capitalists happily reap their reward of the largest suppliers of condom or largest suppliers of oil palm, but what about the millions of workers scraping by at RM600 a month. These are hotbeds of discontents.

The cleaners contractors whined they will make a loss. They want to make a profit at the cost of other human misery, low wages.

But these humans will react by becoming snatch thieves or robbing. The low wage RM600 slave labour from overseas will enable capitalists to run their business with low cost but this means millions of locals are out of jobs!

And then we complain why are the locals are on drugs and becoming robbers or involved in cults.

So the solution is to provide jobs and industry where everyone can live comfortably. Less profit for the capitalists maybe but the locals will be invovled and earning decent wages.

Foreign workers must be stopped. Mustapha Mohamed proudly declared he is allowing 14,000 cheap labour to work in Johor Chinese furniture factories because they bring in 10 billions per year. Yes these Chinese furniture factories bring in billions but they bring in social problems too and they cut our forests down which is bad for the environment.

Profit at what cost? Can you deny that out of this 14,000 cheap labour some will definitely be involved in social problems?

So the next time your auntie or mother or sister is a snatched victim just remember that it is all inhumane economics which brought this down on ourselves!

Nuraina A Samad

About Me

Singapore-born PJ girl. Journalist with NST for 27 years until March 2006. Became editor-in-chief of a publishing group and media strategist. After three years (2009), is back with NST as managing editor.